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Dermatology (Expert Forum)
Fungus or Herpes??
Answered by
Alan Rockoff, MD - dermatology, Child Skin Problems
The Rockoff Dermatology Center
Brookline - MA
This forum is for questions regarding Dermatology issues, such as: skin rashes, acne, birthmarks, skin infections, rosacea, and general skin care.
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Fungus or Herpes??
by makingmyselfnervous, Aug 03, 2005 12:00AM
Hello,
I have recently noticed some red blotches in my groin region. Specifically there are symmetrical groups of blotches on my inner thighs near where my scrotum contacts the thigh. There is also a group of blotches on my beltline. These blotches are painless though slightly itchy. They appeared slightly less than 2 days after I had sexual contact. I tried putting Lamisil on them at night and they seem to respond well, they are not itchy when i do this. I have a history of tinea pedis and I am wondering if this sounds like tinea cruris. I have had some heat rash before but never tinea cruris to my knowledge. I had cold sores on my mouth when I was little but these are not like cold sores (if that's how HSV2 manifests) They are groups flat blotches and they look similar to the tinea pedis on the top of my foot.
I do not have sex much, Friday night was the first time I had sex in 6+ mo. [this is what is making me nervous] I noticed that the man I had sex with had a bottle of ....azole on his desk.That's probably an antifungal right? Could I have caught this from sleeping in his bed? I noticed the redness monday morning, I had sex on saturday morning. Since monday morning the redness has not gotten worse, there is a little more, indeed after a night of lamisil it appeard less red so i have to look for it carefully. In the gym shower it was more prominent but i had just come back from a sweaty run.
I did not notice any sores on the person I had sex with.
My rational side says that they are indicative of fungus or irritation but I have heard that some people mistake Herpes for jock itch or heat rash and I am quite nervous.
What makes me think it's fungus:
-painless
-seems to tolerate lamisil well though doesn't go away (noticed on monday, now is tuesday)
-relatively symmetrical
-limited to my groin and not my genitalia (thoguh i notice that my scrotum is itchy)
-i have had tinea pedis. my father also has a history of fungal infections.
- is 2 days typical to notice this if it were hsv? I have heard that it is the minimum
-in a hot moist region
-i have been working out a lot running and it's been hot
-i didn't use a dry towel once to dry myself at the gym.
-bottle of ...azole on guy's bed
What makes me think it's herpes:
- I had sex (handjob, oral rec'd, kissing, some skin-skin contact of course but not really in my inner thighs) for the first time in a LONG while
-not really itchy
- i read things on the internet
- i feel guilty + scared
- sometimes i think my lymph nodes are inflamed though i tend to think this always.
- red splotches in groups near my genitalia
Thanks so much for your help.
I have recently noticed some red blotches in my groin region. Specifically there are symmetrical groups of blotches on my inner thighs near where my scrotum contacts the thigh. There is also a group of blotches on my beltline. These blotches are painless though slightly itchy. They appeared slightly less than 2 days after I had sexual contact. I tried putting Lamisil on them at night and they seem to respond well, they are not itchy when i do this. I have a history of tinea pedis and I am wondering if this sounds like tinea cruris. I have had some heat rash before but never tinea cruris to my knowledge. I had cold sores on my mouth when I was little but these are not like cold sores (if that's how HSV2 manifests) They are groups flat blotches and they look similar to the tinea pedis on the top of my foot.
I do not have sex much, Friday night was the first time I had sex in 6+ mo. [this is what is making me nervous] I noticed that the man I had sex with had a bottle of ....azole on his desk.That's probably an antifungal right? Could I have caught this from sleeping in his bed? I noticed the redness monday morning, I had sex on saturday morning. Since monday morning the redness has not gotten worse, there is a little more, indeed after a night of lamisil it appeard less red so i have to look for it carefully. In the gym shower it was more prominent but i had just come back from a sweaty run.
I did not notice any sores on the person I had sex with.
My rational side says that they are indicative of fungus or irritation but I have heard that some people mistake Herpes for jock itch or heat rash and I am quite nervous.
What makes me think it's fungus:
-painless
-seems to tolerate lamisil well though doesn't go away (noticed on monday, now is tuesday)
-relatively symmetrical
-limited to my groin and not my genitalia (thoguh i notice that my scrotum is itchy)
-i have had tinea pedis. my father also has a history of fungal infections.
- is 2 days typical to notice this if it were hsv? I have heard that it is the minimum
-in a hot moist region
-i have been working out a lot running and it's been hot
-i didn't use a dry towel once to dry myself at the gym.
-bottle of ...azole on guy's bed
What makes me think it's herpes:
- I had sex (handjob, oral rec'd, kissing, some skin-skin contact of course but not really in my inner thighs) for the first time in a LONG while
-not really itchy
- i read things on the internet
- i feel guilty + scared
- sometimes i think my lymph nodes are inflamed though i tend to think this always.
- red splotches in groups near my genitalia
Thanks so much for your help.
Doctor's Answer
by Alan Rockoff, MD, Aug 04, 2005 12:00AM
, Aug 04, 2005 12:00AM
I think you have chafing and irritation. Fungus is possible too, but seems less likely, from your description. Fungus, by the way, is not readily contracted from other people. Nothing in your description suggests herpes. Rather than surf the web, you should let a doctor have a look, so you can be properly treated and stop worrying. I don't think you have an STD, and a quick exam in person should establish this, so you needn't go into detail about your recent sexual history.
As to feeling guilty and scared about sex in general, that's a larger issue, and an important one, that you may be wise to look into exploring.
Take care.
Dr. Rockoff
As to feeling guilty and scared about sex in general, that's a larger issue, and an important one, that you may be wise to look into exploring.
Take care.
Dr. Rockoff
I have noticed that there are more red splotches on my inner thighs after my run when i was in the gym shower. Could it be folliculitis or contact dermatitis? Still haven't seen any blister-like formations after 2 days. They're mostly red splotches, very small, with some about 1/3 the diameter of the eraserhead.
What would you recommend for treatment? right now i am using lamisil and gold bond. should i swtich to a steroidal cream? how about aveeno lotion?
Dr. Rockoff